A 'Dutchmen' delight in Troy

The Guilderland High football team had not defeated a squad with a winning record during the 2009 season. The Dutchmen sure picked a glorious time to end that streak Friday night.

Junior quarterback Ryan Smith tossed his fifth touchdown pass of the game in overtime, and Mike Lavelle’s all extra-point kick provided the Dutchmen with a stunning 34-33 victory over two-time defending Class AA champion La Salle at Sutton Field.

Guilderland (4-4) owned wins over Columbia (47-7), CBA (22-21) and Albany (19-14) prior to Friday’s contest and entered the game as the No. 4 seed from the Empire Division. The visitors departed Troy with a memorable victory and semifinal date on Friday at Ballston Spa (7-1).

Smith has quietly put up some gaudy stats in coach Dan Penna’s new spread attack this season, but the junior’s exploits no longer can go unnoticed. He rallied the Dutchmen to force overtime late in the fourth quarter (including a two-point conversion pass to Matt Ward) and hooked up for his second touchdown toss to Peter Quinn in overtime to respond to La Salle touchdown run by Vinnie Planz.